Brotherly Faults and Protection
by Cloudstar36
Summary: Hooray; my first TMNT 2012 story! So Leo returns home from being sent away to improve his training to find Donnie and Raph 'at the end' of an argument, and steps in before anything bad can happen. Later Raph runs to the rooftops and blames everything on himself, and Mikey goes missing! Can Leo do anything to change the thoughts of his brothers before they argue again? Find out!
1. A not so great welcoming

Arguing...  
Not the best thing to return to when you've been away for a year perfecting kata - especially when the arguing includes a loud thump and someone screaming, "I hate you!"

This is what Leonardo came home to, and the loud, panicked whimpering coming from the lair signalled him to run faster. Approaching the door, the blue-ninja gasped sharply and skidded to a halt. Near the corner of the couch was his younger brother, Donatello; his crimson-brown eyes filled with tears. His mask was torn below his right eye, and his left cheek was red... like someone had slapped him; hard. The purple-ninja tried to back up more when a turtle in red leaned over him; a dual sai in his hand. Leonardo knew what he was going to do and growled.

"Raph!" he snapped; both turtles jumping in fright. "Get away from him, right now!"

Raphael backed off with a soft growl, putting his sai back into his belt. Donatello found his chance; running over to his eldest brother in tears. Though he was the oldest but not nearly as tall, Leonardo tried his best to calm his younger brother.

"What the heck were you thinking, Raphael!?" he exclaimed, giving a trembling Donatello a tight hug.

"That's none of your business, Leo!" Raphael snapped back. "And don't call me that…"  
Leonardo snarled softly, but silenced himself when their sensei walked out to join them; the orange-ninja beside him shaking fearfully in fright. Almost immediately he ran over to Leonardo, wanting a hug too.

"Raphael, you know this is not how you treat your brothers for such a mistake!" Splinter scowled, eying the red-ninja. "Of course you were angry, but your anger consumed you and you nearly killed the both of them!"

Leonardo was busy examining the slap-mark on Donatello's cheek, listening to every word said; each like an icy chill running through his shell. When Raphael started to yell back at Splinter, the blue-ninja led his younger brothers to their bedroom and slid the door shut. Quietly he sat them both on their beds and sat opposite them, putting his head in his hands.

"L-Leo?" Michelangelo whimpered, rubbing his bruised arm. "D-Do you think... Raph's l-lost it?"

Leonardo looked up with a slight scowl and shook his head.

"If he hurts Sensei, then he's lost it..."

Donatello payed barely any attention to his brothers. He just sat with his arms wrapped around his knees; a small tear escaping his eye each time he blinked. What Raphael had done was going to be embedded in his mind for a long time...

"_You and your inventions mean nothing! I hate you, Donnie!_"

The purple-ninja coughed back a sob at the memory, and soon found Leonardo at his side; giving him a tight hug. Leonardo gently rubbed his shell as his little brother cried onto his shoulder.

"Everything's going to be okay, Don..." the blue-ninja murmured. "Raph's not gonna hurt you anymore..."

Even as he said those words, Leonardo felt uneasy. What if Raphael did hurt them again? He shuddered at the thought and jumped slightly when their bedroom door slid open; Splinter looking at his three sons in worry.

"Sensei, what's wrong?" Leonardo wondered, pulling away from Donatello. Their sensei walked over with a heavy sigh.

"Raphael ran off after I had spoken to him," he explained, sitting beside Michelangelo and putting an arm around him; the orange-ninja huddling close to their adopted father. "Even though it is risky, I need you to go after him, my son."

Leonardo glanced at his younger brothers' worried expressions before nodding slightly and getting to his feet.

"I'll do what I can, Father..." he insisted, heading for the door.

"I am sorry you had to return to such anger, my son..."

"It's fine..." Leonardo went on. "Things were worse out there anyway."

Shaking off a horrid thought in his head, the blue-ninja left; heading to the surface as hastily as he could.


	2. Understanding

Raphael sat alone on a rooftop; tears of hate and pain forming in his eyes. Already there was a series of cuts along his left arm; the cuts of a sai blade...

"W-What the h-heck is wrong with me!?" he exclaimed with a growl, driving the sai across his arm once more, drawing more blood. "I-I'm a disgrace to b-bushido..."

Exhaling with a shaky sigh, the red-ninja put his head down on his arms, hissing softly as his tears began to sting his cuts. He hadn't meant to snap at his younger brothers, or to slap Donatello! His anger was just getting the better of him...

"Maybe I should just jump off this building and end everything now..." he muttered, getting to his feet.

"Maybe you shouldn't, Raph..." the blue-ninja said softly; Leonardo hesitantly grabbing his brother's arm. Raphael spun around; ready to attack, but he stepped back when he saw his older brother's ocean-blue eyes staring back at him in concern.

"What do you want, Leo?"

"To stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life, little brother..." was the reply. Raphael winced slightly; hating that Leonardo still called him that.

"What mistake?" he questioned flatly, keeping his back towards his older brother.

"Ending your life! Why would you be stupid enough to do that anyway!?" Leonardo exclaimed; his anger mixed with the feelings he'd had beforehand. Raphael let out a low, angered growl.

"You calling me stupid, big brother?" he snarled, spinning around to face him. "Bad idea..."

Within seconds he had pinned Leonardo to the rooftop; a sai against his older brother's neck. Knowing how close they were to the building-ledge, the blue-ninja was fighting the urge not to kick his brother over at that very moment.

"Raph..." he said softly, trying to push Raphael off him. "D-Don't... let the anger... c-consume you..."

Hearing the panic and worry in his older brother's voice, Raphael dropped his sai beside him and looked at his brother with wide eyes. Hastily he got up and stepped back, not knowing there wasn't much edge behind him. Leonardo quickly sat up.

"Raph, be careful! You're gonna-...!"

Before he could even finish his sentence, the blue-ninja watched in fright as his younger brother took another step back and slipped over the building-edge.

"Leo!" Raphael cried, failing to grab the roof-ledge as he fell. Acting fast, Leonardo hastily grabbed his hand, panting softly to relieve his shock before pulling his brother back up to safety. Raphael immediately gave him a tight hug, not caring that he was losing his attitude and toughness. if not for Leonardo, he'd be-...  
The red-ninja shook off the thought and coughed back a sob. Leonardo heard it and hugged him back; a small smile on his lips.

"It's okay, little brother..." he whispered. "You're safe now..."

Never had he heard his brother so upset, nor had he ever felt him so shaken; so afraid...  
Leonardo pitied him, something he thought he'd never do. The two turtles stayed in their hug for a while, there on the rooftop. Raphael had other thoughts on his mind as well as apologising as he stared out at the dimly-lit city; his vision blurry with tears. Only now he realised how much he had missed Leonardo...

"H-Hey Leo..." he whimpered softly, trying to hide his tears. The red-ninja hated crying in front of his brothers! "Thanks..."

"You know I'm always here to help, Raph," Leonardo admitted, pulling out of their hug. "That's why Sensei made me leader... To protect you."

He paused and gently poked his brother's plastron-plate.

"Me being leader has nothing to do with this "I'm older than you" thing... It's about the responsibility I have to watch out for you, Don and Mikey, and... I can't do that if you don't cooperate..."

Raphael glanced down at where Leonardo had poked him; his hand underneath the lightning scar on his plastron-plate... That same scar the blue-ninja had given him when they were younger...

"Stop making me feel younger than I am, Leo..." the red-ninja sniggered softly, pushing Leonardo's hand away. "We're not five anymore..."

"I know, Raph, and I'm sorry," the blue-ninja insisted. "But remember this same thing happened when we _were _five; you and Donnie fighting... And Don ran away because of it. Thanks to Splinter, we found him before anything bad could happen."

Raphael looked away, glancing down at the city. He didn't want that to happen again...  
Leonardo then noticed his bleeding arm.

"You cut yourself?" he questioned. Raphael followed his gaze with a heavy sigh.

"I went too far, Leo... I had to..."

The blue-ninja sighed and started to unwrap the bandage on his left arm, noticing the blood stains on the side of his chest and shell, left there when Raphael had hugged him.

"Put me down for a near-murder..." he muttered teasingly, taking Raphael's bleeding arm and starting to wrap the bandage over his cuts. The red-ninja hissed softly in pain.

"You... d-don't have to do that, Leo..."

"Yes, I do..." Leonardo admitted, not caring that he now had blood on his hands. "Why'd you do this to yourself anyway?"  
Raphael sighed heavily before replying.

"... When I slapped Donnie, I... I-I never meant to do it. I wanted to apologise, but... I-I was just to angry..." he explained shakily. "I hate to say it but, seeing him so hurt... made m-me hurt myself..."

Leonardo found he had run out of bandage when he reached Raphael's elbow, so he studied his cuts instead. They were definitely left by a sai blade...

"There was no need to do it, Raph... You didn't need the punishing because you were already hurt enough..."

"You're right, big brother..." Raphael murmured, looking down at his older brother with a small smile. "I... I-I just gotta learn to control my anger..."

Leonardo got up and put a hand on his shoulder, grinning slightly.

"And I know you will, Raph... Someday!"

With a chuckle, he ran off across the rooftops; Raphael running after him with a soft growl.

"Not funny, Leo!"


	3. One brother down

After their teasing bolt across the rooftops, Leonardo and Raphael cautiously entered the lair; knowing any sound would probably wake their younger brothers, who were asleep on the couch in front of the TV. The sounds of 'Space Heroes' could softly be heard.

"You gonna watch with them, Leo?" Raphael teased softly, elbowing his brother. Leonardo only shook his head and walked over to where Donatello and Michelangelo slept; back-to-back on the couch. Carefully he dragged a blanket over the two of them.

"They're as exhausted as we are. Space Heroes can wait," he insisted, switching off the TV.

"Never thought I'd hear you say that..." the red-ninja whispered, following Leonardo to their bedroom and shutting the door behind them. The blue-ninja was unbuckling his katana-sheath when he spun around again. "Already seen that one of something?"

"Yeah," Leonardo admitted. "Besides, Raph... We're gonna be 16 this year... I need to grow up..."

The next second he had been tackled to the ground by a stealthy Donatello...

"Who are you and what have you done with my brother!?" he laughed, teasingly poking his older brother's plastron-plate. The blue-ninja tackled him back and chuckled softly.

"Attack of Donnie!" he joked. "And... who is this 'brother' you speak of?"

He indicated towards Raphael; the red-ninja laughing softly at his older brother's humorous attitude, stopping when he locked a glance with Donatello. The purple-ninja was hesitant to approach him at first, but seconds later he had run over and given his older brother a hug. Leonardo smiled slightly as he watched them.

"Told ya he'd forgive you!" he hissed. Raphael stuck out his tongue and ignored him, almost having to stand on tip-toe as he hugged Donatello back, then they pulled away; the red-ninja keeping a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Don, I... I-I'm sorry that I hurt you earlier... I didn't mean to snap at you like that..." he said softly; his gaze wandering to the ground. Donatello's eyes widened slightly as he listened to his brother's words. He kinda liked this side of Raphael... Not snappy and argumentative; but calm and protective...

"Raph..." he interrupted, giving him a small smile. "You... don't really have to apologise... Mikey and I should have realised how angry you were getting, and we would have stopped if we had thought about it..."

"Hey speaking of which, where is Mikey?" Leonardo spoke up with a slight frown. Donatello glanced up when he heard him speak.

"He was with me when we were watching Space Heroes... which _someone _turned down!" he said teasingly; Leonardo chuckling softly.

"Guys, you've just completely gone off topic..." Raphael insisted; the sternness returning to his voice. "Donnie, was Mikey still there when you came in here to see us?"

The purple-ninja had to think about that. He was so caught up in greeting his older brothers, he hadn't had a clue if Michelangelo had moved or not. Raphael noticed his head was tilted to one side, and that always meant he didn't know...

"You don't know, do you...?"

"It's not my fault I-..."

"It's no one's fault," Leonardo cut in, not wanting his brothers to argue a second time that night. "Wherever Mikey is, it's somewhere that's his favourite place to go. As long as we know that, we can relax and sleep... Reason being, it's nearly one in the morning..."

"I don't feel tired..." Raphael admitted, sitting on his bed. Leonardo scowled.

"Raph, you were shaking after our run on the rooftops," he insisted, poking his brother's forehead; Raphael closing his eyes and falling back onto his pillow. "You're tired..."

Donatello giggled softly as he watched Leonardo walk over to him, immediately falling silent when his older brother looked at him sternly.

"Don't make me do it to you too..." the blue-ninja insisted with a teasing grin. Donatello quickly lay back and pulled his covers over his head.

"I'm asleep!"

Leonardo laughed before heading over to his own bed, discarding his ninja-gear to one side before settling down for the night... but he found he couldn't sleep. What if Michelangelo wasn't where they thought he was? Maybe he was lost somewhere totally new...  
The blue-ninja shook off the thought and rolled onto his side with a soft whimper.

"Where are you, Mikey?"


	4. Mikey's mistake

The morning sun awoke the orange-ninja the next day. Michelangelo sat up in fright. He hadn't even realised he'd fallen asleep on the rooftop after his run from the lair. Then he tried to remember why he was there…

"Raph and Leo came home; I could hear them…" he told himself, watching as the sun continued to rise over the horizon. "I felt Donnie shift his position beside me, and then I was lying flat on my shell…"

He stopped… He'd run off just because he didn't want to face Raphael again in case he hurt him.

"But, Donnie never got hurt when he saw them…"

Whimpering, Michelangelo realised he was getting afraid for no reason, or was he? His nerves were more to being alone on a rooftop just a day was breaking for the surface-dwellers. Hastily, he glanced over the building-edge, noting there was no one in sight.

"Okay… so this could be an easy jog over to April's… or a terrifying experience trying to dodge the people who are secretly in hiding!" he told himself in panic… then calmed down. "Heheh, I'm starting to sound like Donnie…"

Without hesitation, he quickly slid down the side of building, ducking into the shadow as quick as he could. Looking around in curiosity, he realised no part of the city here looked familiar to the ones he had ventured at night with his brothers.

"O-Okay… the terrifying e-experience it is…"

But he never ventured out. He stayed in that alley-way, sitting against the wall with his arms wrapped around his knees. The others were probably worrying greatly about where he was and were searching the sewers in panic. Whimpering, the orange-ninja put his head down on his arms. They'd never find him; wherever he was… and he never got the feeling that he was being watched, even when he looked up again and started tracing the lines of the bandage around his left ankle. The watcher was curious of his figure, and wanted to know more about him. Silently she loaded her gun with a tranquilising dart…  
Michelangelo heard it click and jumped to his feet in fright.

"W-Who's there!?" he called shakily, reaching for his nunchucks. "I-Is that you, guys?"

He was making guesses now; the watcher stepping a little closer to the rooftop-ledge she was standing on, a beam of sunlight revealing who she was, but Michelangelo didn't notice. She was a zoo-keeper at that, probably on her way to Central Park Zoo to start work for the day. Her long, amber-orange hair was tied back in a pony-tail, and she was wearing outback-style clothing. Cautiously she lifted her gun and aimed it straight at Michelangelo; a hand on the trigger.

"Now, be a good little… whatever-you-are, and stay still…" she murmured, firing the gun. Michelangelo yelped when he heard it go off and stumbled slightly as the dart hit him in the shoulder; the effects already taking place. He drowsily walked over to the building wall, dropping his nunchucks as he collapsed onto his knees. As his vision became blurry, the orange-ninja struggled to get back up.

"G-Guys…" he managed to murmur before falling completely unconscious. The zoo keeper jumped down from her spot on the roof when she was certain he was totally out.

"What… an interesting creature…" she told herself, running out to the van parked in the street. She ran back with another keeper; the two carrying a cage between them. Reaching Michelangelo, she instructed the other keeper to help her get him into the cage; the orange-ninja having no sense of what was going on. The other Turtles were surely going to have trouble finding their little brother now!


	5. So here's the plan

**Author note: Raph acts a little out of character here… I guess it's my story so I can have him acting however I want him too ^^ Thanks for the reviews, guys and enjoy!**

Raphael was sitting at the kitchen-bench, his head resting on his arms while he stared directly back at Spike; the non-mutant turtle happily eating the lettuce leaf that was offered to him. The red-ninja himself was slightly worried. It was his fault Michelangelo was missing anyway…

"I-I shouldn't have snapped at him, Spike…" he murmured softly. "I just… I-I was just getting' so mad, I… l-lost my temper and-…"

He cut off when he felt Spike nudge his arm and look up at him sadly, like he was telling his owner everything was going to be okay. Raphael gave him a small smile and ran a hand over his shell, pulling back when he heard Leonardo and Donatello approaching him.

"You don't think he's gone far, do you, Leo?" Donatello asked as they entered the kitchen-area. Leonardo shrugged and glanced at his younger brother; Raphael not looking up.

"Any luck down here, Raph?"

"Nothing… Top-side?"

"Searched the whole perimeter…" Donatello spoke up, heading towards his lab. "If only there was some way we could track him…"

While he went off muttering ideas to himself, Leonardo walked over to Raphael and sat beside him; surprised that he didn't snap at him or anything.

"You feeling okay, Raph? This isn't like you…" the blue-ninja pointed out, putting a hand on the red-ninja's shoulder. Raphael exhaled with a heavy sigh.

"It's all this family-stuff, Leo… I'm losing my true spirit because of you guys…" he explained, slightly looking up. "Like, I know I got a temper and all, but… I've also noticed that you guys are the only ones who can ease it if you're hurt or upset or somethin', I don't know… You probably think I sound stupid right now, huh…"

Leonardo shook his head.

"No Raph, this time, I'm listening…"

Raphael looked at him in confusion.

"Not making sense, Leo," he admitted. Leonardo laughed softly and gave his brother a calming smile.

"You always think act before plan, but sometimes that doesn't work, little brother… especially yesterday with how you treated Donnie and Mikey. If you had spoken to them with reason, not force, Mikey would still be here, and we wouldn't be on a mad turtle search…" he told him. "Yes, I know I'm having one of my lecture-moments again, but… Like I said earlier, you gotta control your temper."

Raphael put his head down on the table again, taking in his older brother's words. Maybe he was right… All it took was a little control…  
Hesitantly the red-ninja leant over and hugged his brother cautiously; Leonardo being slightly taken by surprise, but instead of questioning, he only smiled and accepted the hug. Moments like this may never come up again due to the forgetting of the whole incident, so he might as well enjoy the comfort from his younger brother…

"Guys, guys! I think I know where Mikey is!" came Donatello's hyped-voice. He ran out of his lab with a grin; his T-Phone blinking slightly. He paused and giggled when he saw his two older brothers caught up in their hug. "Uhh guys!?"

Raphael glanced back over Leonardo's shoulder, pulling away from him with a sharp gasp and looked away. Leonardo shrugged in confusion before looking back at Donatello.

"Where is he, Donnie?" he inquired, getting up and walking over to him. Donatello showed him a tracking signal that had come up on his T-Phone.

"Here; the south-side of Central Park Zoo… but wait, why would he be there?" the purple-ninja wondered aloud. Raphael listened to them suggest answers before he got up and grabbed his sai with a soft growl.

"I'm just gonna say Mikey's been kidnapped, and if he's at the zoo, then-…"

"Everyone will know we exist! If they torture him to talk, he could reveal the location of our lair, and they'll probably come find us and do experiments on us or something!" Leonardo finished, sounding a little more paranoid than usual. Raphael sniggered slightly before gently poking his brother's forehead.

"Stop being paranoid, Chief. Let's just think of a plan, and go rescue our younger brother," he insisted, determined to get out and do something as a team once more. Leonardo grinned at his familiar attitude.

"Usually I wouldn't say this, but I like the way you think, Raph," he admitted, heading for the lair exit. "Let's go!"


	6. Risky Rescue

**Another Author Note: Okay, I kinda had a mind blank at the end of this one and forgot what I was writing. Once I remember, I'll finish up this chapter and start writing the next one ^^**

Once the three brothers were armed with their weapons, they ran out of the lair and headed for the surface, quickly ducking into the first shadows they saw after leaving the manhole. Leonardo looked around cautiously, aware of the early evening sun over-head. Raphael and Donatello soon joined him.

"Okay guys, it's afternoon so there are people about," the blue-ninja murmured, looking up. "A quick and cautious climb to the rooftop. Make sure no one sees you."

Finishing his command, Leonardo hastily made his way up the building-side, reaching the top and nodding his head. Raphael climbed up next; Donatello quickly following after him. Something in the street below them made the purple-ninja pause half way.

"Guys, can you see that?" he wondered, pointing back down the street. Raphael was just about to climb up over the building-barrier when he looked down again. From what they saw, there seemed to be a cage out on the street, with a few people crowded around it; most of them young teens. An older woman was yelling things to them, but the Turtles couldn't hear.

"It's just another circus animal, Don. Can we go now?" Leonardo inquired, worrying that they might not find Michelangelo before something bad happened. Donatello ignored him and looked through the binoculars that hung around his neck, frowning slightly.

"Something up, Donnie?" Raphael questioned, loosening his tegaki slightly and sliding down beside his brother.

"Yeah, and it's bothering me…" the purple-ninja admitted, climbing up to Leonardo; Raphael following with an annoyed growl. Once they were all on the roof, Donatello reported his findings. "Someone tell me why Mikey's position has changed?"

Leonardo and Raphael glanced at his T-Phone screen. Sure enough the signal tracker was closer to them than they thought.

"You think the signal's coming from the-…" Leonardo cut himself off, glancing over the building-edge once more; catching a glimpse of two orange mask-tails poking out the back of the cage. "Mikey!"

"What!?" both Raphael and Donatello said in unison, joining their older brother. Leonardo pointed down to the cage, where the young teens were still hanging around. Surely enough, Michelangelo was in that cage; backing up each time something was pegged at him. Tears were running down the orange-ninja's cheeks; a frightened whimper escaping his mouth now and then. The zoo keeper beside the cage was getting fed up with the teens for harming him. From the rooftop, the three Turtles all exchanged a growl.

"Time to show and beat?" Raphael inquired, slamming his fist into his hand.

"As risky as it is; yes…" Leonardo admitted sternly. "No one messes with our little brother and gets away with it…"


End file.
